Q&A with Current Abbott Intern, Justin Perry

Vault: What made you decide to join Abbott for its summer internship program?

Justin Perry: Growing up in Columbus, Abbott has always had a huge presence in my city and my life. When I got the chance to learn more about them at the Ohio State career fair, I became even more interested in all the opportunities they provide their interns with. Ultimately, it became clear to me that they hold the internship program in really high regard, and that was important to someone just entering the corporate world.

Vault: What excites you about the biotech industry, as someone new to it?

Justin: The prospect of doing work that I know matters. Abbott has a wide array of products that very directly impact the quality of people’s lives, and to know that I can contribute to that every time I clock in is a really exciting prospect.

Vault: What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities?

Justin: My main project this summer was to create a database that consolidated and tracked equipment health for some of the major production assets in Abbott Nutrition manufacturing. This has been a massive project and has led me to talk to a wide array of engineers and plant managers on a regular basis. I also help out on smaller projects depending on my team’s needs, as well as network with other people around the division.

Vault: How has the Abbott team made you feel welcome during your internship?

Justin: For starters, the early careers team is full of warm, friendly, approachable people. Having them as a first contact with the company was amazing. Additionally, there’s an established culture of teaching in Abbott, so everyone that I spoke to across my summer was more than willing to take time to field my questions and provide advice.

Vault: What has been your favorite part of your internship so far?

Justin: Getting to directly apply some of my learnings from my curriculum (chemical engineering) has been really gratifying, and I think helped further my understanding of my potential role in the corporate world.

Vault: How would you describe the company culture at Abbott?

Justin: I’d say that while everyone is, of course, friendly and helpful, I’d say everyone is also very pointed and motivated. People care about their jobs and know that the work they do is important. It really helped me to stay motivated, too.

Vault: What have you learned during your time as an intern that you’ll take with you into your career journey?

Justin: While it’s easy to want to think 10 steps ahead and contribute as quickly as possible, it’s also really important to develop a fundamental understanding of what’s in front of you in that moment and do your best not to neglect the present when thinking towards the future.

Vault: Do you have any advice that you’d like to share with future Abbott interns?

Justin: Be curious. Everyone in this company is smart and talented and wants to share their knowledge with you. Obviously, you should take the time to do well on your project and help your team, but it’s absolutely paramount that you go looking for opportunities outside of that as well. Network, ask for lab tours, sit in on meetings, do whatever you can to soak up as much as possible. The 12 weeks fly by.

Learn more about life as an Abbott Laboratories intern.